Today, we are going to the Kalahari. It is not only a desert it is also a waterpark in Ohio. A few years ago we went there with the Omars. This time it is a unschoolers waterpark gathering.
At the waterpark there is a lot of fun rides like you could learn to Boogie Board. (On real water not carpet ). You could also do the Swahili Swirl as long as you did not do it with momma. There were other rides like the wave pool or lazy river but those were my favorite.
Megan learning to Boogie Board
This summer I found a unknown seed that I think is a tree that is sprouting.
There is a parks photo contest that I want to enter. I decided to change the seed picture to make it more interesting. This is the version momma and I like best. It is the one I will use for the contest, but I can not think of a name for it.
On the right is the original. Momma played with the shading. I then copied it twice, downsized the copies and made them look like babies. I erased a little bit of the junk. I then “colored” in the rest. It was fun.
The name needs to have something about seed or unknown seed and preferably ostrich.
Thank you in advance!
On New Year’s Eve, we made this recipe. Daddy has a friend that he asked for a good Greek recipe. Mrs. Rankin says that her family makes a huge amount of Dolmades for Christmas Eve every year.
We had to hunt for ground lamb. It is hard to find where we live. We also had to find grape leaves, lemons and dried mint. We already had everything else at home.
We mixed the lamb, dried mint, rice and spices in a big bowl. Then we made them into logs and wrapped them in grape leaves. When they were done, they looked like miniature green burritos.
Megan REALLY liked them!
Then we simmered them in chicken broth with a plate over the top. Then Daddy made a sauce out of the broth, lemon and egg yolk. To eat them, you put a few on your plate and pour the sauce over them if you want to. Sprinkle Feta cheese and black olives over them if you have them.
It was rather easy, but took a long time. It was good. We are divided on whether they were too lemony or not. I hope that we make it again.
We are learning about Greece ( Daddy says why didn’t we work on the car?). We made Greek soup. It is on Andrea’s blog.
We made Baklava because it is a Greek desert and Momma (and Andrea and I and…) like it.
Baklava
(16 ounce) package phyllo dough- 1 pound chopped nuts, we used walnuts.
- 1 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
- It seemed like a LOT for 7 people, so half way through we decided to half this recipe. We still made a 9 x 13 inch pan, but made it thinner. We used most of the nuts though
Next time we will use a square pan. ( Or I would invite some friends over.) - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan.
- Chop walnuts and stir in cinnamon. Set aside.
- To keep phyllo dough from drying out, keep it wrapped once you take it out of the package. Cut to fit pan if needed. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter lightly, you don’t want to soak it, but just cover it. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Don’t bother making the sheets smooth, the more crinkles the better.
- Sprinkle 2 – 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Add two sheets of dough, butter them, add more nuts, and continue until phyllo dough is almost gone. Make top layer about 6 – 8 sheets deep.
- Cut into diamond or square shapes most of the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 50 minutes until lightly brown and crisp.
- Start boiling sugar and water 20 minutes after Baklava is in oven. Boil until sugar is melted, then stir in vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove Baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool before devouring. Do NOT cover until completely cool or it might get soggy. Yuck! OR don’t bother saving any, just EAT IT ALL!!!!!!!!
There Was a Great Big Moose
I learned this song at Camp Ann this summer. If you want someone to sing it to you, ask Adrian, he loves this song.
This is a repeat-after-me song. So say what I say and do what I do
There was a great big moose!
He liked to drink a lot of juice.
There was a great big moose!
He liked to drink a lot of juice.
Singin’ oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
Way oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
The moose’s name was Fred.
He liked to drink his juice in bed.
The moose’s name was Fred.
He liked to drink his juice in bed.
Singin’ oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
Way oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
He drank his juice with care,
but he spilled some on his hair.
He drank his juice with care,
but he spilled some on his hair.
Singin’ oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
Way oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
There was a great big moose
full of juice
on the loose…
Singin’ oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
Way oh way oh
Yo oh yo e oh yo e oh
Opa says that this wire on Great Grandma’s property in CO, is very old! It might be over a hundred years old (but I don’t remember). It is slightly rusty, but Opa still takes some for projects when he visits. If it was Indiana, it would not even be a pile of rust!
A long time ago, before they started using twine to wrap bails of hay, they used wire. They just draped it over a post and then left it for the cows to have a back scratcher.
Rustle Rustle. Eight coyotes walk across a dry buffalo waller. As they cross it, one of them smells Pronghorn. They follow the smell.
The Pronghorns are grazing quietly when suddenly, a coyote leaps out at the closest one! The Pronghorn kicks it and the rest of the coyotes attack! The other Pronghorns leap away to safety.
Later, a mouse nibbles on a partly eaten Pronghorn. A raccoon walks up and starts eating. The mouse hides. The raccoon takes another bite right where the mouse is hiding. Crunch!!!! The raccoon has accidentally bit the mouses body off. Soon the raccoon walks off and a Coyote, who returns after looking for something better then day old Pronghorn, pounces on the raccoon.
Here is the real story. At our house we find raccoon skulls, we have at least two. One day I was exploring with my friends the Seller’s and we found a deer skull –it turned in to a Pronghorn in this story. When we went to Colorado Uncle Bill gave me a Coyote and a mouse skull.
A few days before we left Colorado, we went exploring to get neat pictures of the Coyote skull. We saw dog –or were those Coyote?– tracks. When we got back to where we were staying, we learned that Aunt Francis had just called to tell Oma that there were seven coyotes nearby in Aunt Catherine’s yard!!! She said not to let the kids play outside. We had not seen the coyotes, but we did see lots of really good tracks!
Guess what is special about today!
Cow chip cookies
My cowboy boot cake on cow chips
For my birthday, the girls made Cow Chip Cookies. They are good. I think they would be really good dunked in chocolate. Here is the recipe.
Daddy made my cake look like a boot. Momma used the Cow chip cookies the girls made for the boot to walk on.
When we were in Colorado we had a chow chip throwing contest. We found the cow chips all over the ground! In case you do not know what cow chips are, look it up! 
The cow chip throwing contest was fun. I think that I won, but Audrey argues that.
A very dry cowchip
Cowchip throwing contest
Thirteen years ago, we welcomed a little boy to our home. He was so little! Soon after, we took this adorable little boy to the transmitter site where Daddy worked. While there, one of the workers took Mark and blessed him. With Mark raised high in the air, God was thanked for this new little boy. Then God was asked to lead and guide Mark to grow up knowing who He was.
I am so thankful for this little boy, who is growing to be a man. I continue to pray that, the desires of Mark’s heart is to follow and obey God all the days of his life. I pray for his willingness to live the truth and make Biblical choices. I pray for his life to continue to be a light that shines brightly!
Happy Birthday Mark! Daddy and I love you very much!
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